KENT County Council has been accused of not doing enough to push for more affordable homes at Kings Hill, near West Malling, when the next stage of development takes place.

A public inquiry is due to start on October 7 into the second stage of development at Kings Hill, which could result in planning permission for hundreds of new homes.

Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Trudy Dean said KCC appeared to be ready to accept a far smaller proportion of affordable homes at Kings Hill site than it was pressing for elsewhere in the county.

She claimed KCC was ignoring the opportunity to lead by example by insisting that at least half of the new homes were within the reach of so-called “key workers”, such as nurses, teachers and social workers.

KCC, which is the landowner of Kings Hill, is understood to be prepared to accept that just 20 per cent of the new homes should be low cost houses at the public inquiry.

That is the figure which has been proposed by the developers, Rouse Kent, and is the subject of negotiations between Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council.

Cllr Dean, who represents the Malling Rural Central division, said it was “dishonest” of KCC to argue that many of the new homes planned for the county under the Government’s Communities Plan should be affordable but not to press that case when it had an ideal chance to do so.

"The need to build schools, roads and a high quality environment has already put a premium of about £65,000 per house at Kings Hill, so homes are already more expensive than elsewhere.

"This has made it difficult to recruit lower-paid people who are badly needed in this area. We say we want more affordable housing but where we are in a position to influence things, we say we only want 20 per cent to be affordable," she said.

Leigh Herington, KCC county planning officer, said the issue of the number of affordable homes was a matter for Tonbridge and Malling council to discuss with the developers.

He stressed: "Kings Hill will get enormous planning gain in other senses, such as through the bypass which is being built."

KCC will argue at the inquiry that development at Kings Hill – along with Leybourne Grange and Holborough Quarry – should be permitted.